I'm home
by Ritz the freak
Summary: Charlie's sister Jamie is home after running away for seven years to help the family. She now finds her family is doing fine without her....What now?


A little late

_Five year old Charlie Bucket woke up to an empty bed. He shivered from the sudden cold. Looking up at his sister, he could see her get dressed in the dark. _

_"Jamie?" He called to his sister. Jamie looked back at him. She smiled sadly. Her green eyes filled with the pain that he saw in his parents and grandparents eyes. She was only 15 years old and had quit school to help support her family. But even with her help, they were still dirt poor. _

_"Hey Charlie boy." Jamie said, going to the bed where Charlie was on. She smiled at her little brother, tucking the blankets more tightly around him. "Where are you going, Jamie?" Charlie asked. Jamie looked over at the things she packed. "I'm going away for a while." Jamie said. Charlie grabbed her arm. "But when are you coming home, sissy? Mum's going to cook a chicken for dinner tomorrow." Jamie sighed. "I'm going away to get more money. So then we can eat chicken every day instead of once a year." She said, kissing Charlie on the cheek. _

_"Now get to bed, sleepy head. Tell mummy and dad not to worry about me." She said, going down the ladder to the living room of the house. She sneaked silently out of the house, careful not to wake he parents and grandparents. Charlie watched his sister go, confused. Why would sissy leave us? He thought to himself. The next morning, the Buckets read Jamie's note. Charlie's father went to go look for her but was forced to give up after a while. So Jamie Bucket was considered dead._

1.

Seven years later.

The ruins of where the house was before lay on the ground in a heap. And thats what Jamie Bucket came home to. Standing at 5'7, With short black hair and Green eyes, she was a normal 22 year old woman. Only she was one of the richest writers of that generation, even if she didn't look it. In her ripped jeans and t-shirt with a trench coat, she looked dirt poor. Her two novels were written under the name of Lily Jones were bestsellers. Now she had money to take care of her family. But then she saw, they weren't there.

Jamie had no idea what to do. A light breeze blew, her hair moved by the gentle breeze. She dropped to her knees and began to cry softly. "Mummy, daddy...I was too late." She sobbed to herself. Jamie layed down in the snow, too numb to feel the cold, and cried herself to sleep. A gentle snow fell over her as she lay there, covering her with a white blanket.

"You know Charlie, why do you always want to walk to where your house was? Its just a bunch of rubble." Willy Wonka scoffed, walking with his heir to the site. He was diguised in a pair of leather pants and a white ruffled shirt. For protection agasint the cold, he wore a black trench coat. Charlie himself was in his normal clothes but bundled in a puffy coat his mother bought for him.

"Mr. Wonka, I like walking to where my house was. I miss it." He said. Willy chuckled. "Poppycock, how could you miss that?" He stabbed his cane into the snow bank to prove his point. But the snow bank yelped at the cane. Charlie and Willy both stared at the snow bank. "Well, snow banks don't talk, do they Charlie?" Willy said. Charlie looked down. He saw an old shoe that was coming out of the snow bank. He grabbed the shoe, finding it was attached to a leg. He pulled some more, dragging a moaning Jamie out of the snow.

Jamie had been there for a few hours before they showed up. Hypothemia was kicking it as she shivered and at the same time moaned in pain at the stab wound in her leg from the cane. Charlie of course had no idea who she was after all these years. "Miss, are you alright?" Charlie asked. Jamie looked up at her little brother. The Hyopothemia and the sudden loss of blood was already clouding her vision. She pulled herself on her elbows, only to fall back into the snow. "Mummy..." She said before blacking out.

2.

Jamie could feel herself being carried as she slipped into familiar blackness. She felt herself placed on a soft bed and the sting of something on her leg. Muffled vocies whispered around her. She struggled to put them into words.

The bright lights stinged her eyes when she woke up. Jamie sheilded her eyes and she looked around. She felt warm and comfortable. Looking around, it seemed to be a hospital of some kind only with puppets. Her neighbor was a girl puppet. The fake smile was directed at her. Kind of like something you'd see in a scary movie. Jamie evaluated her options. She could get up but that would mean leaving to cocoon of blankets she was stuck in. She wondered who carried her here. She would have to thank that person and maybe they would know where her family went. 'Good job Jamie. Falling asleep in the snow.' She thought to herself.

"Well, looks like your awake." She heard. Sitting up, she saw Willy Wonka himself. She was too stunned to move. Her mouth went wide open.

"W-Willy Wonka?" She said. Willy smiled. "Yep, my name is Willy Wonka. Good job." He said, clapping. She laughed slightly. "I'm sorry. I don't usually fall asleep in snow banks. But I was looking for something." She said. Willy looked like he wasn't listening. "This is my puppet burn center but it seems you came here for the oppisite reason. By the way, my workers think your crazy." Willy said, sitting stiffly on the foot of the bed. Jamie smiled. Maybe Willy would help her find her family. He certainly had connections. And as famous as Jamie's books were, she was never considered a celebrity like Willy Wonka.

"Sir, I was wondering. I was looking for my family and I was hoping I could get some help. Maybe you could-" "Willy, is she awake yet?" Jamie watched the little boy come in to stand next to Willy. She knew who he was. Her little brother, Charlie. Jamie gasped. "Charlie? Charlie, its me, Jamie." She said, tears coming to her eyes. Charlie studied her face closly. Something hit him as he began to understand who she was. "Jamie!!" He said, hugging his older sister.

Willy watched them hug for a while before Jamie pulled away. "Now, where are Mum and Dad? The grandparents?" She asked. Charlie got up. "We all live here now. Come on, lets go see them." He said, pulling on her hand. Jamie followed her brother, wincing slightly at the pain in her leg from the stab wound. Damn that cane was sharp. She limped slightly as she followed the energetic boy. Willy watched them leave, watching Charlie's sister. She looked okay. He could tell that Charlie and her were related just by looking at them together.

The glass elevator confused Jamie but Charlie pushed the buttons like a pro. She was slammed into the wall by the sudden jolt. "Charlie, how long have you lived here?" She asked, looking at their surroundings. Charlie helped her to her feet. "We've been here for about a month." Jamie nodded. After that, there was a silence in the air. Jamie used this silence watch the things they saw. The silence was broken by Charlie asking, "Why did you leave us?" Jamie looked down at Charlie. His serious face matched their father's. She almost wanted to laugh.

His brown eyes bore into her for an answer. "Charlie, you don't understand. Mum and Dad and I were backed up into a wall. We were the only ones who could work. I felt like I was being pushed from all sides. You don't understand what it feels like to come home to a family who has nothing to eat because you can't make any better. And with me quitting school, I knew I couldn't go back. So I ran away. From seeing all that. I could run away and be someone else. So I did. I lived on the streets for a few months before finding work and friends. They let me live with them. I published my first book at 17, going under the name Lily Jones. I went back to school and graduated. Then I took some college courses. Before long, I became famous. So now, I have the money to support us, I came home."

Charlie looked up at his sister. She stared at the array of different rooms with a gleam in her eyes. The elevator jolted, bringing Jamie to her feet. The sudden movment re-opened the wound. Jamie cursed as the blood darkened her jeans. Charlie looked down. "Are you okay, Jamie?" Charlie asked. Jamie winced slightly. "I'm fine, just hurts a little." She said, covering it with the coat she was carrying.

3.

Charlie and Jamie walked into the house, finding the house empty. "why is the house empty?" Jamie asked. Charie shrugged. "We don't live here anymore. Mr. Wonka gave us some rooms. But we eat our meals here." He said. Jamie looked around. Memories came flooding back. Charlie looked around to. Jamie sighed. "Its seems that even if this place was a shit house, it was our home." Jamie said. Charlie's face brightened. "Jamie, I have an idea to scare Mum and dad." Jamie laughed at her little brother as he pushed her to the loft of the house.

"You hide there and during dinner, you come out and act as normal as possible." Charlie said with a big smile on his face. Jamie had to smile at Charlie. She ruffled the boy's hair affectionatly. "You little prankster. Fine. Lets do it." She said. they both stopped talking when they heard Charlie's mother walk up to the house. Jamie hid while Charlie went downstairs. Charlie's mother, Lily.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?" She asked, getting ready for dinner. Charlie began to set the table. "I was, just playing around." Charlie said with a fake smile on his face. Lily smiled at her son sadly. "Mum, are you alright?" Charlie asked. Lily shook her head. "I was, just thinking about Jamie. Today's her birthday, you know." 'Damn, I forgot my own birthday, shit.' Jamie thought. She smelled the air. The smell of the roast beef made her reazile the last time she ate. Her stomach groweled loudly.

Lily looked at Charlie. "Are you hungry, darling?" Lily asked Charlie. Charlie looked nervously at the loft while nodding. Lily cut him a little roast beef. "Thanks mum. I'll go to the loft and eat this." He said, going up to the loft. He stuffed the beef under the bed where Jamie was laying. Charlie came back down. "Charlie, are you feeling alright?" his mother asked. Charlie shook his head as his father and grandparents came into the house.

As the Bucket family sat down at the dinner table, Jamie wondered why there was one empty seat. Her question was answered by Willy Wonka coming in and sitting in the last chair. The family ate and chatted as usual. Willy asked Lily something. "Do you know that Charlie's sister is here?" He asked. Lily dropped the knife she was using to cut the roast beef with. Charlie slapped his plam aganist his head. 'Might as well' Thought Jamie. Seeing this as her cue, Jamie slipped out from under the bed. coming down the ladder.

The Bucket stared At Jamie who stood there. She shrugged. "Um, Hi everyone." She said. Lily and Charlie's father, James, stood with their mouths open. Grandma Geogina was the first to speak up. "Jamie, take off your shoes before you enter the house." She said. Jamie laughed. "Sorry grandma." she said, taking her shoes off. Lily got up from the chair and went to her daughter.

"Jamie, come here, come to your Mum." She said. Jamie hugged her mother tightly, now taller than her. "I missed you mummy." She said, tears coming down cheeks.


End file.
